I've personally been waiting for winter to return to the east coast. I'd love to do an Elephant Treffen at Laurel Fork in January. They are legendary in Germany. But it just hasn't been cold or snowy enough to try to set it up. But this week has really made me want to do it.

Even though we had a WTF moment before it ever hit the garage, the old girl is now chilling out in a 25 degree garage. (Side stand switch --- amazing what a soldering iron and some heat shrink tubing will do).

I know it's not the "Kawasaki Way", but I do need to polish her up. She's been away from a bath and a detail for awhile. And of course, the farkling needs to begin in earnest.

I took a short spin just now. It's quite a different ride from the GS. Or any other bike I've had, for that matter. Really dives left/right on slow speed turns. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it's not an easy bike to handle when creeping. :-/

Now ... to keep from going back out to the garage and tinkering ... :-)

That's a common malady on those bikes when the temps get waaay down. A little moisture gets up in the switch, it freezes, and the plunger sticks or gets sluggish.

Every so often I'll slip a WD40 tube up inside the bellows and give it a quick shot. Of course, you have to stand on your head to even see the switch, let alone do the deed.

Another trick is to just allow the bike to sit and idle for a spell. Heat from the pipes usually thaw things out in short order.

Even though we had a WTF moment before it ever hit the garage, the old girl is now chilling out in a 25 degree garage. (Side stand switch --- amazing what a soldering iron and some heat shrink tubing will do).

I know it's not the "Kawasaki Way", but I do need to polish her up. She's been away from a bath and a detail for awhile. And of course, the farkling needs to begin in earnest.

I took a short spin just now. It's quite a different ride from the GS. Or any other bike I've had, for that matter. Really dives left/right on slow speed turns. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it's not an easy bike to handle when creeping. :-/

Now ... to keep from going back out to the garage and tinkering ... :-)

HEHEHEHEH... there are a couple foibles (sp?) with the Concours in general, but they all are easily fixed.... stand switch (and clutch lever switch) interlocks CAN be defeated easily when they occur.... ask Guy to send you a picture of the "Jumper Plug" for the sidestand. but the WD-40 squirt has always worked for my Conni's...
Biggest issue I dealt with as a Past Tech Editor with COG ( as was Guy also) was the propensity for water condensation in the tank, when stored half full, and the consquences that had on the low speed carb circuits that control below 3000 rpm rideability. Keep the tank filled with fresh gas. and ride it a lot....makes them run great.

HEHEHEHEH... there are a couple foibles (sp?) with the Concours in general, but they all are easily fixed.... stand switch (and clutch lever switch) interlocks CAN be defeated easily when they occur.... ask Guy to send you a picture of the "Jumper Plug" for the sidestand. but the WD-40 squirt has always worked for my Conni's...
Biggest issue I dealt with as a Past Tech Editor with COG ( as was Guy also) was the propensity for water condensation in the tank, when stored half full, and the consquences that had on the low speed carb circuits that control below 3000 rpm rideability. Keep the tank filled with fresh gas. and ride it a lot....makes them run great.

So I need to do something like that on the clutch switch of my KLR? I have two colored wires w/ stripes and a black wire if my memory is correct.

I'm going to plead ignorance here, because I've never really looked at the lever switch arrangement on my bike.... altho' I did take a (very) brief gander at it a little while ago. Cold as a well digger's arse out there so I didn't linger.

Some of the images I've seen of the lever ass'y has a small plug going into the switch. The harness side of that plug goes into the main harness group via the connector group (under the cover) behind the instrument cluster. Having said that, and if that is the case, you won't have a mating connector to use such a jumper. The one I showed came off of a Connie sidestand switch that went kaput. The leads coming out of it had a pigtail with that connector on the end, which then plugged into the main wiring harness. I cut off the connector end of that pigtail and jumpered all the wires. I carry it JIC I have a (it's a really fooked moment) issue on the road with the switch. Unplug the existing switch connector, and plug in jumper.

If I get back out there before you do when it warms up a little, I'll take a closer look. I THINK, to eliminate the switch on the KLR, it would be the same as that on the Connie, i.e., all three wires would need to be jumpered together. Both require grounding scheme for the clutch engaged, and disengaged positions to activate the appropriate circuits to allow the bike to start, and continue to run should the bike be in gear and/or the sidestand is in the down position.